IKEA, often thought of as the go-to for university students and out-of-school young professionals looking to stylize any room on a budget, has actually become quite the heavy-hitter in high-end design as well over the past few years. The creativity and innovation from this Swedish-born home furnishings company is unparalleled in the mass-market industry, and furthering this ideal is the opening-tomorrow exhibitIKEA in Toronto’s trendy King West neighbourhood.
exhibitIKEA is an art installation that brings together some of Canada’s most-renowned designers to use IKEA’s products in their works. The artists – David Dixon (well-known and celebrated women’s fashion designer), George Whiteside (a staple in Toronto’s arts community and renowned for his fashion and design photography), Thrush Holmes (an artist and painter whose ascension in the art world was swift), and Bruno Billio (a Toronto-based sculptor whose unique sense of design is apparent in his use of active displacement and staging of found objects) – have all created pieces and works fuelled by IKEA’s products and designs.
The innovate and unique installation at King Street and Blue Jays Way opens to the public tomorrow, and will enjoy a short stint through the 21st of August. For those not in Toronto or who won’t have the chance to visit exhibitIKEA while in town, photos and a complete video tour of each artists’ creations will be available on the IKEA Canada Facebook fanpage.
Part of the reason IKEA decided to undertake such a project is because of the consumer: IKEA customers are known for using their products and furniture in ways that are creative and unmistakably personal, even though IKEA’s products are mass-produced and mass-marketed. We say cheers to IKEA for continuing their tradition of conceptualization different from the average retailer, and continuing their history of clever marketing ploys – you didn’t think this was just about art now, did you?
Check out some of the photos from exhibitIKEA below…
Bruno Billio takes IKEA chairs to new heights
Thrush Holmes uses neon and graffiti juxtaposed with a sophisticated interior on his “shack”
George Whiteside uses IKEA frames to showcase his Morandi Notes series of photography
David Dixon uses IKEA textiles to create modern and chic womenswear